Writing a course budget requires some research into information that is not generally
shared with instructors, but I suggest that it might be a really good idea to
do so.High schools and ROP programs
operate with budgeting that is
paid off ADA (average daily attendance) while
community college budgets work under a different plan known as FTES (full-time
equivalent students).In writing my own
budget, I did research to find out how much income a class of twelve students would generate for the
college.Then I calculated the cost of
salaries and materials, along
with the approximate cost for the use of the facility.It is plain to
me now why the dean of instruction is so ruthless about cutting classes that
have low enrollment.If we run classes
with less than 12 students, the likely hood is that expense will exceed income, and in today’s tough
economic climate (as far as the state budget is concerned) the school must make
maximum use of its limited resources.The school needs to do better than break even on each class, because of
equipment depreciation.While there may
seem to be no direct cost associated with the use of equipment, it deteriorates
over time and must be replaced.The
money to replace it usually must come out of the school’s budget.My feeling is that academic classes with
minimal equipment needs and larger class size should be used to subsidize
vocational programs.From a purely
economic viewpoint, vocational programs look like a financial drag.But they provide a valuable service to the
community and to the workforce by providing cost-effective training to those
who need it.

Facilities Floor Plans

I used a facilities
floor
plan when designing and building my auto repair shop back in 1993.I designed the shop with dimensions I got from
conversing with others who had built repair shops and had regrets about the way
they had designed their own buildings.Drawing a to-scale model on graph paper is about the best way to
visualize how the final facility will function.A classroom or a shop must be designed with the same approach I used in
building a repair shop designed to provide a safe working environment and a
smoothly operating repair shop.Students
who learn in a well-designed classroom will appreciate a more efficient
learning experience, and lab time will be spent more productively in a
well-designed school shop.A sensible floor
plan is vital for good use of limited space and for efficient work
flow.One difference in a school shop
versus a revenue-based working shop would be floor space allocated to
demonstrators and working models or mock-ups.Designing a school shop and leaving room for mock-ups makes for much
more efficient use of floor space and consequently, more efficient use of the
student contact hours.